Blue Ridge Arts Center

Exhibition on View: May 17 – June 21, 2024

Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 1-4pm and Saturday, 10am-1pm

Closing Reception & Artist Talk: Friday, June 21 from 5:30-7:00pm

Award Winners

BEST IN SHOW – “Arise from the Epidermis” – Mixed Media by Lori Solymosi

Best In… PHOTOGRAPHY – “Flamingo Flight” – Photograph by Barbara Whitney

Best In… PAINTING – “The Prince” – Oil by Oksana Alfredson

Best In… WORKS ON PAPER – “Hogwarts Alumni” – Graphite by Dale Cochran

Best In… 3D – “Stitch” – Wood-fired Ceramic by Wendy Converse

Merit Award – “Olive Oil Tryptic” – Oil by Michelle Winnie

Merit Award – “Kingwood” – Wood by AJ West

Paul Dohr Memorial Award – “Salvation Denied” – Mixed Media by Melody Davis

D.F. Littlefield Memorial Award – “Pale First Tears” – Stained Glass by Ruth Bolles

Faye Smith Memorial Award – “Mr. Rabbit” – Clay by Linda Parsons

Click through the entire show below.

"Flamingo Flight" - Photograph by Barbara Whitney

Image 1 of 68

JUROR’S STATEMENT

When selecting artwork for the BRAC regional juried exhibition, I was tasked with a difficult endeavor: choose 70 artworks from a pool of 175 entries. I wanted to include as many artists and types of media as possible, though I knew from the beginning of the process strong artworks would have to be excluded. I deliberated back and forth for several days before landing on my final selections.

I kept three things at the forefront of my mind as I assessed each artwork: technical skill, evidence of intentionality in making, and a sense of the artist’s individual hand in creating the work. Many submissions were excellent examples of all three of these aspects of art making.

After aspects of form were considered, I focused on other characteristics of excellence to narrow the field even further. I asked myself, “Am I looking at something I’ve seen many times before or at a fresh perspective? What are the distinctive qualities in the work that make it compelling?”

The final selections convey a sense of narrative or mystery. It is wonderful to experience artwork that makes one question the process, or carries a unique psychological tone. This might be a glimpse of a quiet moment in a work of figurative realism, or the enigmatic use of color and texture in a non-objective work. Perhaps it is the use of light, composition, or distinct point-of-view, engaging us to see a subject in a new or unexpected way. I was pleased that many submissions invite contemplation, hopefully urging the viewer to step closer or walk all the way around an artwork to experience it in full.

It was a joy to spend time with the submissions for this exhibition. I would like to thank the wonderful community at BRAC who made this show possible as well as the artists who had the courage to share their wonderful work for consideration. I hope visitors will be inspired by the selections for the 2024 Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at Blue Ridge Arts Center.

ABOUT OUR 2024 JUROR: BETHANY PIPKIN

South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University

Bethany Pipkin lives and works in South Carolina. She received her BFA from Clemson University and MFA in Drawing and Painting from East Carolina University. Her current work relies on the traditional methods of drawing and painting as well as new media, utilizing technologies such as the Scanning Electron Microscope. Her artwork has been featured in local, regional, and national exhibitions as well as in international publications. Pipkin teaches Foundations and Drawing and serves as Foundations Program Coordinator for the Department of Art + Design within The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University.